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Honestly WTF

DIY Friendship Necklace

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As soon as Lauren and I saw this editorial in Flare Magazine, we knew we had to recreate these awesome, friendship bracelet-like necklaces.  We promise they are super easy to make and the perfect way to pass the time during those long summer roadtrips.

 

You’ll need:
- cotton rope or twine
- a pair of scissors
- nuts and washers
- embroidery thread
- thread bobbins or squares of cardboard (all of which you can find at your local hardware and craft store)

To make a 2-tone necklace, cut a long piece of rope and wrap two different colors of embroidery thread around its own bobbin.  Tie a starter knot along with the two colored threads you are using, leaving at least 3 inches of slack,  Tape down the slack to a flat surface or safety pin it something that will help keep it in place (feeling nostalgic yet?).  Lay the color that isn’t being used (shown here in purple) in your left hand, along with the rope, and hold them taut.  Take the active color (shown here in red) in your right hand, pass it over the rope, loop it under and back through the opening.  Pull up and to the right to tighten.  Repeat the knots until you are ready to switch colors.  (Click images to enlarge)

To alternate colors, simply put the inactive color (red) in your left hand and the new active color (purple) in your right.  Repeat the steps.

Once you’re done knotting, add a few nuts and/or washers to the necklace.  Undo the large starter knot and tie both open ends together, creating your very own friendship necklace!  Trim any extra rope and tread.  Continue making necklaces at different lengths, using any color combination…in our opinion, the more the better!  Easy enough, right??

(top image via Fashion Gone Rogue, rest of images by Honestly…WTF)

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151 Comments

  2. Margot    July 20, 2010

    Awww. It’s like summer camp but more fashionable. :)

  4. Deana    July 20, 2010

    Another great DIY tutorial, thanks ladies! Love the pictures too!

  8. Barret    July 20, 2010

    Those are gorgeous necklaces – i am so impressed by this DIY. Going to have to try this one myself!

  9. erica    July 20, 2010

    thanks guys!! we’re so happy you like!! ;) send us photos! we’d love to see what you’ve done!

  10. karen    July 20, 2010

    yay friendship bracelets!! I’m so excited you gals posted this :) Totally gonna do it soon!

  14. Barbara Bechtel    July 22, 2010

    I also used to do these in my hair. I’m having a carefree summer day and now I’m so inspired to do this again!

  15. Rachel    July 22, 2010

    Wow, these are so pretty! How perfect for summer, I’m in love. I just came across your blog via Poppytalk. I would love to link to this if you didn’t mind.

  16. nauli    July 22, 2010

    Your necklace is so beautiful! We used to make frienship bracelets like this in our childhood. You make we wanna start again. A big necklace like yours would be so great!

  18. Anna    July 22, 2010

    I used to make these like crazy when I was kid. Between embroidery floss friendship bracelets, and beaded lizards, I kept pretty busy! :) Thanks for the nostalgic how-to. XO!

  19. Endrina    July 24, 2010

    These are lovely! I remember wearing them as bracelets when I was younger.
    Thanks for sharing your tutorial:)

  20. Samya salama    July 24, 2010

    I always wondered how they do these bracelets. Thanks for sharing :-)

    -Samya

  23. almost exactly    July 25, 2010

    this inspired me to call some of my friends who i haven’t seen for the longest time. they totally remembered how we used to make these back in high school. we promised we’ll hang out sometime and make friendship bracelets again! or necklaces this time!

  25. Ashleigh    July 29, 2010

    Wow! This is utterly amazing..
    Im lost for words :) Im going out and buying the material as soon as the weekend comes!

  27. Lune Vintage    August 3, 2010

    Thanks for giving me a road trip passtime! I have too much embroidery floss, and honestly, i hate embroidering shit.

  34. beadinggem    August 5, 2010

    Great tutorial!! I love how one can wear several or use just a single one with a focal. I will link in an upcoming blog post! Pearl

  35. Katie    August 5, 2010

    I am SO in love with this! Thank you SO much for sharing – Cannot wait to make many of these!

  39. laiona    August 12, 2010

    i was looking for a way to make a belly chain from embroidary floss but i will def be making these too. it makes so much sense to use rope because it gives it body, awww i think im gonna have a collection of these.

    do you think we could get away with these in winter if we mute the colors?
    I think soo!

  40. Kristine    August 29, 2010

    I just found your blog via Poppytalk and I love it!! Can’t wait to try the pompom garland and these friendship necklaces are too adorable for words! Thank you!

  47. SayaR    November 18, 2010

    Wow, this brings back memories of junior high. Now that I’m a broke, semi-unemployed adult, may be time to bring these back out for Christmas presents! Is there a specific brand on thread you recommend?

  48. bukola    November 21, 2010

    this is such a fun and easy idea! You didn’t suggest ways to finish the ends though. Do you just tie them together?

  49. erica    November 21, 2010

    you’ve got it! if you click on the word “trim” in the last paragraph, you’ll see that we just knotted the ends.

  51. Jayme    December 9, 2010

    These are fantastic! I actually had been trying to remember how we used to make these when I was a kid, b/c I’m about to get married and I thought something like this would make a really adorable personalized wedding favor. Thanks for jogging my memory with this tutorial! Whats great is my much younger soon to be sister in law isn’t old enough to remember the big trend that these were, so its something she can share with her friends and feel a little bit ‘schooled’ on retro teen trends.

  54. Moda de la Mode    January 9, 2011

    This is fantastic…I love it so much, I will have a go at making these for sure!!
    All your DIY projects are so good and really inspirational. I also do a few DIY projects on my blog about global fashion and have just done one called Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining. Feel free to check it out and follow if you like it!!

  59. Rose    February 7, 2011

    This is fantastic! I’ve been wanting to make something like this for a while. Great tutorial.

  61. sarah    February 27, 2011

    this was such a perfectly easy way to get a creative fix during one of my last quarters of classes in my doctoral program! thank you!! I made several and hooked them all together into one necklace with a cap bead that I used as a crimp-clasp: check it out if you want!

    http://pacificrain.blogspot.com/2011/02/bit-of-flare.html

    now to get some girlfriends together and try that proenza schouler necklace next! When I stumbled upon some leopard-print cotton cording at my local fabric store, I knew I had to buy some and save it for this next DIY!

  62. sofia    March 28, 2011

    What should I do if I want more than 3 colors?
    Also, it is just one rope or several ropes tied together?

  65. Alia Wallenbrock    April 20, 2011

    With all the doggone snow we have gotten recently I am stuck indoors, fortunately there is the internet, thanks for giving me something to do. :)

  67. hannah    May 13, 2011

    Omg these are lush…id love to buy them tho ha im not that creative :(

  68. Lani@ girls jewellery    May 23, 2011

    Wow, these necklaces rock! The tutorial is very detailed and easy to follow, I think I can do it and make one for myself, thanks a lot for this wonderful idea.

  69. georgia    June 18, 2011

    i just made one!!! but it took forever. they look good layered! these are similar to the Seventeen Magazine cover of August 2010 with Rihanna

  71. Ethan Eby    July 11, 2011

    What is the official name of that style bracelet anyway?… It’s nearly impossible to find online because no one knows the name.

  73. Irini    July 18, 2011

    Thank you!!! I was looking for these many years!
    Thank youuuuuuuuu!!

  74. Delphine    July 28, 2011

    I’m totally addicted to your site…WAOUW WAOUW WAOUW!!!!!! Another great tuto! BUT pleaaaaaaaaase, can you dedicate a tuto to the wonderful pompom bracelet from Honorine jewels? http://www.shoplatitude.com/red-pompom-bracelet.html
    They are so trendy and wonderful, perfect for this summer and I’m sure not very complicated to do (for you of course, for me….it’s another story!)
    THANKS THANKS and see you soon, YEAH!

  76. The Trippy Hippie    August 4, 2011

    I love the post! I tried it my self and it turned out pretty good! I also used your tutorial in my blog and linked back to you! You have great ideas and tutorials!!!

  78. Shianaah    September 1, 2011

    i was looking for something different then the usual friendship bracelets and this is perfect thx :)

  79. jaimie    September 1, 2011

    first time on this blog.. and im in love <3 making them as we speak!!!!!

  80. Meli    September 8, 2011

    These would also be amazing with variegated thread – saves you having two pieces of floss, and the colour changing could be more gentle(?) depending on the type used.

    I can’t wait to make some, thanks! :D

  81. Anna    September 10, 2011

    Love that you read a Canadian Fashion mag. Love the blog, just made the Bracelet with the bolts but need to know how to fasten the ends!!!!

  84. K    September 16, 2011

    I’m working on one right now–it will be a very long piece of rope that I’ll treat as an infinity necklace. We’ll see how it goes! Going to try some bracelets in that same style as well. :)
    Thanks so much for sharing– your site has been an awesome source of inspiration lately!

  85. Kolbey    September 19, 2011

    These are so awesome, ive got to do this! And i just got a whole bunch of embroidery thread =D

  88. Victoria squires    December 5, 2011

    hey ladies, I thank yhu for the web post and this was really helpful to me so thanx. Cant wait to hear from yhu. Bye.

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